Electrical Engineer ; R&D Engineer

The Accelerator Operations and Technology Division (AOT), Radio Frequency Engineering (RFE) group is seeking an R&D Engineer at either a Level 2 or Level 3 to join the Low-Level Radio Frequency (LLRF) team at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The AOT/RFE group oversees all RF systems and consists of three teams:
Low-Level RF (LLRF), High-Power RF (HPRF) at 201 MHz, and High-Power RF at 805 MHz. This position supports the LLRF team with development and implementation of digital control systems, and may involve engineering and supervision aspects of project execution, including calculations, specifications, procurement, testing, delivery and installation. The role includes development and design of analog, digital and RF PCBs, and writing HDL or test code in LabVIEW or MATLAB.

You will collaborate with other engineers and technicians within the LLRF team and with other accelerator systems groups (software, instrumentation, accelerator physics).

This position will be filled at either the R&D Engineer 2 or R&D Engineer 3 level, depending on the selected candidate; additional responsibilities may be assigned if hired at the higher level.

R&D Engineer 2 $104,100 - $172,200

• Background in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• Support role with responsibilities including troubleshooting, initial calculations, developing specifications, submitting procurement orders, coordinating testing, delivery and installation.
• Develop and implement digital control systems; create and analyze analog, digital and RF PCB designs; write HDL or test code in LabVIEW or MATLAB.
• Collaborate with LLRF team and other accelerator systems groups.
• Demonstrated experience in design and development of analog, digital or RF PCBs; control theory and digital signal processing; software development for system operation and testing; full engineering design cycle; technical contributions (reports, publications, patents, or products); and leadership for new technical capabilities.

R&D Engineer 3 $125,200 - $211,300

• All responsibilities of R&D Engineer 2, plus independent leadership of low-level RF projects; provide technical guidance on RF controls; offer operational guidance during installation, integration and operation of RF control systems.
• Demonstrated leadership and project delivery experience; ability to lead technical teams and strategic planning.

R&D Engineer 2

• Proven success in design and development of analog, digital or RF printed circuit boards.
• Experience with design and application of control theory and digital signal processing.
• Software development experience for system operation and testing.
• Experience applying the full engineering design cycle (requirements, design, implementation, debugging, testing, documentation).
• Technical contributions evidenced by reports, publications, patents, or developed products.
• Demonstrated leadership for identifying and developing new Laboratory-wide capabilities.
• Active contribution to organizational planning and strategic direction.

Additional Job Requirements for R&D Engineer 3

• Design and development experience with high-speed digital PCBs using FPGAs, DRAM and data converters.
• Design and development of RF PCBs and systems.
• Strong HDL background for complex signal processing or software radio systems including RTL coding, synthesis and simulation in FPGAs.
• Extensive experience with the full engineering design cycle (requirements, design, implementation, debugging, testing, documentation).
• Leadership experience managing a technical team of four or more for at least two years.
• Ability to lead organizational planning and strategic direction; deliverables and project leadership for business unit initiatives or new technology development.

R&D Engineer 2 level: Bachelor's degree in engineering from an accredited institution and 4 years of related experience; or an equivalent combination. A master's degree may be preferred.

R&D Engineer 3 level: Master’s degree in engineering from an accredited institution and 6 years of related experience; or an equivalent combination. A Ph.D. may be preferred.